31 replies to this topic

[gurtz]

Hi there,

I am using the latest version of CCleaner (v2.01.507), and have the Secure Deletion option set to "DOD 5220.22-M (3 passes)". However, nothing is getting securely deleted. After running CCleaner on my system, I ran an undelete utility and was able to restore every file, that had supposedly been permanently destroyed, with no problem at all.

Can anyone tell me what is going wrong? This certainly seems like a bug to me.

[BTW, aside from this issue -- great program! Thanks much!]

Gurtz

[burner2]

gurtz, on Oct 9 2007, 12:49 AM, said:

Hi there,

I am using the latest version of CCleaner (v2.01.507), and have the Secure Deletion option set to "DOD 5220.22-M (3 passes)". However, nothing is getting securely deleted. After running CCleaner on my system, I ran an undelete utility and was able to restore every file, that had supposedly been permanently destroyed, with no problem at all.

Can anyone tell me what is going wrong? This certainly seems like a bug to me.

[BTW, aside from this issue -- great program! Thanks much!]

Gurtz

Menue (right-click) will not delete.
go to Start
enter Regedit
search Secure Eraser

delete the Entries /key
Press Key F3 for more
an delete.
after this Start CCleaner go to Registry an clean

[gurtz]

burner2, on Oct 10 2007, 07:37 AM, said:

Menue (right-click) will not delete.
go to Start
enter Regedit
search Secure Eraser

delete the Entries /key
Press Key F3 for more
an delete.
after this Start CCleaner go to Registry an clean

I'm sorry, I don't understand your instructions. I did run Regedit and searched for "Secure Eraser", but it didn't find any matching entries (so there was nothing I could delete).

I think you might have misunderstood my original message. The problem I am having is that, even though CCleaner SEEMS to be working, and it DOES delete files from my drive ... it is NOT deleting them SECURELY. I know this because I was able to recover the deleted files using an "undelete" program. Does this make sense?

Thank you for your help,
Gurtz

[JDPower]

burner2, on Oct 10 2007, 12:37 PM, said:

Menue (right-click) will not delete.
go to Start
enter Regedit
search Secure Eraser

delete the Entries /key
Press Key F3 for more
an delete.
after this Start CCleaner go to Registry an clean

Not quite sure what that post has got to do with anything, let alone the problem the thread is about

[Augeas]

gurtz, on Oct 9 2007, 02:49 AM, said:

However, nothing is getting securely deleted.

Gurtz

Hooray! I've posted about this at least three times before with absolutely zero response, so it's a relief to know I'm not alone in the universe.

I've found this to be common with all releases of CC, at least in the last year when I started to use secure deletion. CC seems to delete some files, overwriting the file name with a random capital letter, such as LLLLL.LL, but the vast majority of files remain under their own name and many are recoverable with ease in an unblemished state. CC appears to overwrite those files I dump into a custom folder which I have set up for CC to empty, but all the rest, including temp internet files, are untouched.

I'm running XP/SP2 home, IE 6.0 with no other security s/ware except AVG a/virus.

Rgds.

[gurtz]

Augeas, on Oct 11 2007, 04:29 AM, said:

Hooray! I've posted about this at least three times before with absolutely zero response, so it's a relief to know I'm not alone in the universe.

I've found this to be common with all releases of CC, at least in the last year when I started to use secure deletion. CC seems to delete some files, overwriting the file name with a random capital letter, such as LLLLL.LL, but the vast majority of files remain under their own name and many are recoverable with ease in an unblemished state. CC appears to overwrite those files I dump into a custom folder which I have set up for CC to empty, but all the rest, including temp internet files, are untouched.

I'm running XP/SP2 home, IE 6.0 with no other security s/ware except AVG a/virus.

Rgds.

I must say, I didn't think to try it with custom folders but, you are right: many (if not all) files in Temporary Internet Files -- though they are deleted -- are completely recoverable.

I am also XP/SP2 professional. I use Maxthon as a browser, though it uses IE 6.0.2180 at the core. I am using Avast! Anti Virus and Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall.

Thanks for the respose. Glad I'm not the only one.

Gurtz

[Caldor]

Are all you people running NTFS or is anyone of you on FAT32?

[Augeas]

NTFS

[gurtz]

Caldor, on Oct 15 2007, 03:29 AM, said:

Are all you people running NTFS or is anyone of you on FAT32?

I'm on NTFS, too.

[Caldor]

Bug confirmed on ntfs. Use cipher /w(volume name) as a workaround until its fixed. e.g. cipher /w:C:\

[gurtz]

Caldor, on Oct 16 2007, 06:33 AM, said:

Bug confirmed on ntfs. Use cipher /w(volume name) as a workaround until its fixed. e.g. cipher /w:C:\

I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're suggesting. I run CCleaner.exe from my c:\Program Files\CCleaner folder. Is "cipher /w:C:\" a command-line option? If so, how do I use it? "CCleaner cipher /w:C:\"???

Thanks.

[Augeas]

It was new to me too, but after Googling it, yes, it is a command line option, not a CCleaner option.

To think that the answer to everyone's 'How to get rid of deleted files' question was under our noses all the time. I wonder why such a useful tool seems to be so unknown? In my XP Inside Out book it isn't even mentioned.

There seems to be some doubt whether it's available in XP home, which I'm using. You should be OK in Pro. Let us know if you try it.

Rgds.

[Augeas]

No, I don't have cipher on my version of XP Home. Cipher is not intended for frequent use, according to Microsoft. Perhaps because it takes so long?

I'm going to try Disk Redactor, freeware at http://www.cezeo.com.../disk-redactor/ This - according to the blurb - overwrites all free unused space and writes zeros over all deleted files. The filenames remain but the files are zapped. It's not only free but small (375 kb) and portable.

Rgds.

[JDPower]

Augeas, on Oct 17 2007, 02:58 PM, said:

I'm going to try Disk Redactor, freeware at http://www.cezeo.com.../disk-redactor/ This - according to the blurb - overwrites all free unused space and writes zeros over all deleted files. The filenames remain but the files are zapped.

Eraser will do that and erase the filenames too.

[jackypaper]

So . . . basically CCleaner doesn't really work.

I, too, noted that something was wrong, and that it wasn't performing as advertised. Oh, well. You get what you pay for.

[hazelnut]

CCleaner is free, you do not pay for it.

[jackypaper]

hazelnut, on Oct 18 2007, 07:14 AM, said:

CCleaner is free, you do not pay for it.

My point exactly.

[snowdrift]

Damn... this is a *bad* bug. And I *did* pay for the program. I sent in $20.

[Caldor]

Mr G will fix it I'm sure

IMHO there's a lack of experienced professionals getting involved in the product. Too many people are coming on board, posting about them being pleased for a new beta release and then dont really go and test it. We should be encouraging more people to properly test the software. Ive reported many issues about Vista and I know Mr G is looking at those. I think people should be asking how much their helping with solid bug reports and getting their friends to help with testing too.

[BoToMaTiC]

hazelnut, on Oct 18 2007, 08:14 AM, said:

CCleaner is free, you do not pay for it.

I wasn't going to jump in on this but actually we do pay our portion for it, with us visiting the site etc with the google ads for your source of revenue and not saying we don't pay atleast something for it is not right.